No more than any other.
Not wanting to argue the point, Honoria ignored her beast and half jogged to the landing area before she could change her mind. Sex would help, after all. She just needed to be smart about it.
~~~
Asher's breath was ragged when, in his dragon form, he touched his hind legs back on solid ground. Even though he was learning to be less self-conscious about the brand on one side of his chest, he preferred covering it than not, and began to shift so he could get dressed quickly.
Imagining his wings melding into his back, his tail retreating into his body, and his snout shrinking into a nose, he soon stood in his naked human form.
There were a few people coming and going, and quite a few were whispering. Whether because of his bloodlines or his brand, he didn't know since he routinely heard both. He reached the side of the landing area where small cubicles were carved out of the rock and took out his T-shirt. Asher had barely tugged it down when a familiar female voice came from behind him. "You've finessed what were once reckless drills into an art form."
Honoria had found him.
His dragon spoke up. Maybe she wants what I want, so don't bother putting your boxers on.
Asher did exactly that. Nudity was part of dragon-shifter life, but it wasn't just any dragon-shifter behind him. The last thing he needed was for his cock to go half- or full-mast and let the bloody female know how much he was still drawn to her.
Careful to keep his expression neutral, Asher turned around. Honoria was mere inches away, and as the wind blew, her delicious female scent invaded his senses.
His cock twitched to life. Yes, it was a good thing he had at least a little protection. He'd just need to make sure his dick didn't extend all the way to say hello.
Ignoring his dragon's cackles, he shrugged and replied, "If we'd had any other leader but the bastard we had, I would've become a Protector. Since I couldn't bring myself to support Marcus, I instead taught the young dragon-shifters how to fly properly."
"Even the moves you just did?"
He nodded. "I believe in fully preparing a child or teenager. A mutiny had been brewing right before I was imprisoned. I wanted to ensure the children could escape if chased, hoping they could make it to safety."
She studied his face. "I never would've pegged you as a teacher."
He shrugged. "Well, much like you, I suspect I found a more positive way to channel my adventurous and sometimes even reckless spirit."
Honoria arched one golden eyebrow. "I wasn't reckless."
The corner of his lips curled up, and Asher nearly blinked. It had been a long time since he'd smiled with anyone outside of his immediate family.
Quickly gathering his wits, he said, "I recall a female planning to fly across the Channel to France for a weekend, without any sort of approval from the DDA in either country."
She shook her head. "I didn't plan it out of nowhere. I only suggested it after we ran into those French dragon-shifters along the coast in Dover, who had done it first and were quite smug about it. Besides, you were helping me figure out how to pull it off. If not for my parents sending me away two weeks before our scheduled date, we would've tried it, too."
Over the years, Asher had had other things to worry about and think upon than his teenage girlfriend's disappearance. But standing in the landing area less than a foot away from Honoria, with the wind sending him her scent, the memory rushed back of when he'd learned how Honoria had been sent away. Before he could think better of it, he blurted, "No one discovered you had left for a week. It was only after I waited at our usual spot for half a day without any word from you that I thought something was wrong."
Asher paused, remembering the dread in his stomach back then. Even if he'd been a cocky teenage male who only thought he understood love, he'd cared about Honoria. And her missing their meeting had happened about the same time Marcus had started to use his policy of fear over diplomacy.
It had been a long few hours of figuring out what had happened to his girlfriend.
He continued, "So I went to your house, only to find two Protectors taking your parents away. Your mother saw me. She had tears in her eyes, and barely managed to say, 'Tell Honoria we love her,' before the Protector covered her mouth and carted her off."
Honoria's eyes looked suspiciously wet. "She said that?"
He nodded. "Yes."
They both knew what had come next. Marcus hadn't wanted anyone else to leave the clan, so he'd made an example out of Honoria's parents. At first they'd been imprisoned. But years later, as more people tried to send their children away, they'd been executed.
That had been the spark which made Asher join the secret faction wanting to overthrow Marcus King.
Honoria's voice was soft as she said, "Thank you for telling me that. I still blame myself to a degree, for not insisting I stay."
The strong, teasing female from earlier had disappeared. His dragon spoke up. She is no different than us. We both have pain in our pasts.